It was celebrations all around at Thames Valley Kings as they won all three of their opening BWB National League fixtures including an historic victory for their first team who were victorious in their first ever Premier Division game.
Premier Division
It was the perfect start for the Kings as they beat The Owls 46:38 to begin their debut Premier Division season with a win. A dominant second quarter for Kings was the catalyst to victory after the game’s top points scorer Richard Pullen tied the game for The Owls at the start of the second quarter before Kings went on to build a 13-point lead by half-time.
The Owls did outscore Kings in the second-half but the hosts held firm to secure an eight-point victory with Tom Tobin and Liam Barker both scoring 12 points for TVK. Three-time Paralympian and 1996 Paralympic silver medallist, Dan Johnson recorded a game-high eight assists, along with five points and seven rebounds.
London Titans and CWBA also both began their Premier Division campaigns with victories. Titans won 80:69 in a high-scoring game against Sheffield Steelers with the game tied at 33:33 at the halfway stage.
It was a complete team performance by Titans with all eight of their players adding points to the scoreboard, including 21 points for Bethany Wheeler and 19 points for Jack Perry. Ade Adepitan recorded a league-high 15 assists.
George Bates ended the weekend as the Premier Division’s top-scorer for the second successive week, scoring 25 points for Sheffield Steelers, and a second double-double with 12 rebounds.
CWBA started their Premier Division season with a 55:36 win over Mohawks; overturning a first quarter deficit to win by 19 points. Liam Hassell top-scored with 21 points, while Tom Smith scored 18 points on his return to CWBA. Liam Fawcett was the top-scorer for Mohawks with 11 points.
Division 1
CWBA’s game versus Mohawks was the first of three games at the Woodlands Academy with Darren Peasley scoring 28 points for The Bears as they beat CWBA 2 43:70 in Division 1 South. Jaguars WBC started their Division 1 South campaign with a 54:78 victory against London Titans 2. Richard Sargent and Marc Blackman scored 25 and 24 points, respectively, for Jaguars.
In the North division, Sheffield Steelers 2 bounced back from their narrow opening weekend defeat with a win over Wakefield Whirlwinds. Joseph Williams scored 24 points for Steelers in their 66:52 win, while Aaron Hirst was Wakefield’s top-scorer with 22 points.
Division 2
Sussex Bears have begun their season with back-to-back wins in Division 2 South. Their latest victory coming in the capital thanks to a 42:61 win against London Titans 3. Pete Bull was the game’s top-scorer with 21 points.
Staying in Division 2 South, Thames Valley Kings 2 were victorious in their meeting against Cardiff Met Archers. A string of scoring streaks by Thames Valley saw the hosts overturn a five-point deficit at the end of quarter three to win 48:37. Conal O’Donovan led the Kings’ final quarter comeback, scoring 10 of his game-high 18 points in the final 10 minutes.
Division 3
The Kings’ third team started the day off with a 39:14 win against Aces WBC 2 in Division 3 South with Chris Nash ending the game as top-scorer with 18 points for Thames Valley.
Brixton Ballers won 68:37 in their Division 3 game against Windsor Monarchs, while Hampshire Harriers began their season with a 58:22 win against Sussex Bears 2. Sam Hill and Tanya Surtees were the top-scorers in the meeting between Harriers and Bears, scoring 12 points each for Harriers.
CWBA 3 followed their first team’s victory with a 44:23 win against Hereward Heat in Division 3 Central; Keith Batty’s 10 points was a game-high for CWBA.
In Division 3 North, Cameron Watson scored 24 points as Lothian Phoenix recorded a 26:62 victory at North East Warriors.
For the latest BWB National League results, fixtures and league tables, please visit https://britishwheelchairbasketball.co.uk/competition/national-league/
